Apparatus for preventing a person while asleep from



R. T. SULLiVAN.

Apparatus for Preventing a Person While Asleep from Turning on his Back.

No. 132,500, Patented 0m. 22,1872.

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R. T. SULLIVAN. Apparatus for Preventing a Person While Asleep fromTurning on his Back.

. Patented Oct. 22,1872.

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RICHARD T. SULLIVAN, OF NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING A PERSON WHILEASLEEP FROM, TURNING ON HIS BACK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,500, dated October22, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. SULLIVAN, of Needhain, of the county ofNorfolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and usefulApparatus for Preventing a Person while Asleep from Turning upon hisBack; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in thefollowing specification, and represented in the accompanying drawing, ofwhich Figure l is a rear elevation; Fig. 2, a top view; Fig. 3, a frontelevation; and Fig. 4, a horizontal section of it as applied to the bodyof a person.

It is well known that it is'often dangerous, or attended with greatinconvenience, to plethoric persons or others to sleep on the back.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to prevent a person whileasleep from turning over so as to rest or lie upon his back; andpractice has proved the apparatus of the undersigned a sure preventivefor such purpose. It may be worn without inconvenience, and though notallowing a party to'rest directly on the back, will admit of his takingan easy position when reposing on either side.

In the drawing, A denotes an arch sprung from two fiat abutments orshoulder-pads or bearers, B B, the arch being composed, generally, of aframe of wire covered with cloth or other proper material. Theshoulderpads are to rest against the clothing when covering theshoulder-blades of the wearer, and each of such pads may be composed ofa metallic or other proper foundation covered with cloth or othersuitable material, and padded on the inner surface if necessary. Fromeach of the shoulder-pads B B a strap, 0, is extended so as to go aroundthe body underneath the arm- .pits, the two straps being hooked orbuckled together at their junction on the breast. These straps I termthe breast-straps. The two abutments or shoulders B B I connect by anintermediate band or strap, D, going from one to the other in order toprevent the arch from spreading lengthwise. From the upper parts of theabutments or shoulder-pads B BI extend two straps, E E, so as to crossone another below the neck of the wearer, extend over the shoulders, andbe fastened to the breaststraps O 0. Two other such straps, F F,crossing one another, I extend down from the abutment-pads B B to andfasten to a strap, G, to go around and buckle or hook, or otherwiseconnect, at the waist of the wearer; and there may be a strap, H, toextend down from one of the breast-straps to the Waist-strap, all beingas shown in the drawing, in-which I denotes the trunk of a person withthe apparatus applied thereto.

It will be seen that the system of dorsal, shoulder, and waist'strapsoperate to hold the arch and its abutment-pads in their normal or.

correct positions on the body of the wearerthat is, they prevent suchfrom getting out of place either upward, downward, or laterallyrelatively to the body. The dorsal arch, projecting as it will from theback, will serve as an impediment to a person resting or turning uponhis back while asleep or in bed.

In the above-described apparatus, I claim as my invention asfollows-- 1. The dorsal arch A and the abutments or shoulder-bearings BB, arranged as and for use as set forth.

2. The dorsal arch A, the shoulder-bearings B B, and the connection D,combined and arranged substantially in manner and for use as specified.

3. The combination of the dorsal arch A and shoulder bearings B B ortheir equivalent withthe shoulder, breast, dorsal, and waist straps E OF G, all being substantially as, and to operate as and for the purposeas explained.

Witnesses R. H. EDDY, S. N. PIPER.

RICHARD r. SULLIVAN.

